Yes, I know there is a school of thought which holds that Brontosaurus is in fact a separate genus and not a mis-identified Apatosaurus, but until there is incontrovertible evidence of this I think Brontosaurus is dead to Dina.

Even if brontosaurus is the “wrong name” for the creature, it is still most definitely *a* name for the creature, and the creature is most definitely a dinosaur. While Dina might reflexively inform him of the naming dispute, she should still accept the answer, just the same way she should accept “I’m this, the long-necked think in this here picture.”

I have to admit, I have some sympathy with the Science of Discworld viewpoint, which is that Thunder Lizard is a much cooler name than Deceptive Lizard, and even if they had been the same creature, they should have gone with that name.

As a teacher, what even is Canvas? Our university has its own site with a dropbox built in, and that’s what I’ve always used. The students, on the other hand, don’t understand how to follow comments in Word or on PDFs, so all my work in writing them is for naught.

Don’t forget those who print then immediately scan the printouts so they can make a .PDF to submit online, instead of just using a virtual PDF printer. (I’m so happy Windows finally comes with one built in. Users still need to be shown what it does but at least they don’t have to install anything.)

Oh god the print then scan thing is still done by professor and management types who can’t be [censored] to learn to do it right.
Then again these are the same people who format their documents using paragraph and tabs exclusively. Page Breaks and tables? Too complicated.
[rant continues for six more volumes]

In college? Good for printing out essays and stuff so you can do a final correction run through. And for printing it out for teachers who insist on getting a hard copy even if they also get a digital copy.

I posted a rant about difference between paper and screen and compared advantages/disadvantages of the one and the other, then remembered that people would then maybe like a link as a proof, then that I’m a luddite myself and can’t link to hard copy books.

Aren’t you still expected to bring a hard copy of your resume to interviews? (Not that I ever once needed the backup copy – they had always printed out a copy themselves, but showing that you knew what was expected and all that…)

Also, Pterodactylus only refers to one species, a rather boring one at that. The group is called pterosaurs, and includes 5m tall, 10m wingspan murderstorks and frog-faced fluffballs. And all of then had a covering of fur (with the same origin as feathers (and as a result, making it most likely that dinosaurs had feathers from the get-go)), with that latter creature being notable for having fluffy wings as well.

I dunno…when it comes to ankylosaurs, I prefer Euoplocephalus. And when it comes to thyreophorans, I’ve aways been more of a Stegosaurus kinda-guy. Boring, maybe, but I love me a goood thagonizer when I see it.

Stegosaurus lovers unite! I’ve adored them from a young age. Seriously, first day of school the teacher asked us each to name our favorite animal. I said stegosaurus. In retrospect, I think she desperately wished that either she knew what the heck that was or that I preferred cats.

Interesting bit of trivia about it — Gary Larson coined the word when he drew the cartoon back in the 1980s, and scientists started using the word as a kind of inside joke. Thing is, with more and more use it has actually become an accepted term — to the point that spellcheck doesn’t even bat an eye at it!

Other fun things about sauropods: diplodocids were apparently capable of whipping their tails back and forth at supersonic speeds, with one simulation finding 540 meters/second as the maximum speed for the tail of an Apatosaurus. And apatosaurines had specially reinforced necks, which may have been useful in neck-bashing competitions similar to those of giraffes.

It will be an important decision not to be taken lightly. We shall have to consider the different locations based on their willingness to bribe me commit themselves fully to the level of sneering that the Sneerlympic games deserves. It really is about briberyMany, many different factors will come into play to ensure that only the city that bribes me the most best and sneeringest city will be chosen.

Because there are even more awesome dinosar than good ol’ T. Rex, like Yi qi (quite literaly a pigeon wyvern)
Also, now there’s Purussaurus, a big-ass alligator that might beat T. Rex on biteforce (I dunno what did that thing eat, but it was HARD)

My best guess is either that Walky looks different enough from Sal (AG has talked to him before with no problems) that she just read it as an intruder and is startled and disturbed, but not freaking out; that she’s already changed and out the window; or that she wants to check on Dina -if she hasn’t run after Walky to make sure Dorothy’s okay.

I still don’t think he physically knocked her over so much as the combination of Indominus bullshit and a lunge startled her into falling down and he jumped over. Knocking her down seems out of character for him, and would provoke Amber.

B) Slight concern surrounding the fact that Dina is feeling she owes Amber/AG to an extent where she’s serving as a barrier to Amber/AG getting much needed emotional support, especially as her mental health is not in a very good place at the moment.

C) Still really nervous to see what the Amber alter feels about everything that happened.

Dina’s not really capable of recognizing that Amber’s acting unhealthily based on visual and verbal cues alone, though, and like she said, Amber hasn’t given her an actual reason to doubt her judgment.

Dina’s reacting understandably, yeah (see point A,) but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s still serving as a barrier to the rest of the world like this and that she feels like she has to do this for all possible guests.

Like it makes 90 billion percent sense that Dina would be protecting Amber in this way. It’s just unfortunate for Amber because she desperately needs her support network right now. But it can be really hard to actually do the thing that’s emotionally best for yourself when you need to, especially when there’s louder voices arguing against it.

But yeah, unless Amber recognizes she needs help and asks Dina to let people in, I see no reason why Dina would feel a need to do so.

And that’s a big reason for why she needs to be the one to independently notice that things are in a bad place. Because people trying to help her from the outside are going to likely trigger those experiences, especially if the people are disagreeing with her interpretation of events.

Down from the dorm, where it began
Now to the camp the road has gone
And I must follow if I can
For teachers will give lectures long
But still I must endure it all
For if I fail the Finals week
Then I will be here still next fall

I went ahead and read the pterodactyl article. I don’t get why would she slam the door and then shove the article under the door. The thing actually exists, and whereas pterodactyl is a genus, since there is only one species in that genus, it is obvious which exact species he is talking about.

Pterodactyls are flying prehistoric reptiles, but they are not actually DINOSAURS. Same reason Mosasaur and Pleisiosaurus don’t count, because while they are prehistoric reptiles they are distinctly different from dinosaurs. Neither do crocodylians.

it’s not a dinosaur.
I mean ‘dinosaur’ is a messy polycladistic group designation anyway, but pterasaurs are quite definitely of a different lineage. They’re as much dinosaurs as were ichthysaurs.
‘saur’ suffix notwithstanding.

Now I know, I know, that you tried hard to give me a good fit last night. And yes, Jocelyne was (and is) awesome. Well done. Tremendous effort.

It’s not your fault that I didn’t stay with her. And she took it pretty well when I explained things to her. Very understanding. But most importantly, it wasn’t your fault.

And my saying goodbye to her, that doesn’t reflect on you. That was in no way a judgement upon you, or a rejection of your service to date. You have performed admirably, until tonight. Which is what makes this temper tantrum of yours so…. disappointing.

That’s it. I’m not angry. I’m not hurt. I’m not shocked or offended.

Just… disappointed.

You know that I am an outspoken atheist and that Mary is… Mary. You know that I try to be a compassionate person and an ally to minorities as best I can and that Mary is… Mary. You…

… well, you know all of that.

Grav Roulette, we are going to start from scratch tomorrow. Tabla Rasa. No grudges, no vendettas, no cycles of revenge, no anger. Complete reset. And we shall continue on as if this whole… disappointment… never happened.

I was always a fan of Archaeopteryx, but I had to lgo ook the adorable thing up because I couldn’t remember if they still thought it was a dinosaur. Seems like they do, which is awesome, because he’s got all the cool traits of birds and dinos!

I don’t think there’s been any controversy about whether Archaeopteryx was a dinosaur…the question is whether it’s a BIRD. (That there’s a fuzzily defined word…I prefer to use it to mean the smallest group that includes all modern birds, but some people extend it to include all dinosaurs and pterosaurs. By my preferred definition, Archaeopteryx would not be a bird…by the latter it sure would be.)

When I was a kid, the first book I read about it in said it was a hoax, the second said it was the first bird (and somehow therefore not a dinosaur) and the third said it was a legitimate transitional fossil that should count as both dinosaur and bird. It was all very confusing, and I didn’t have the patience to find out which was right at that age.

I only remember creationists claiming Archeopteryx was a hoax. On the other hand, if anyone ever claims Protoavis exists, that’s a pretty good indicator of them being a liar, since Protoavis is a ridiculous chimera that includes, amongst other things, drepanosaur (think lizard lemur) bones.

Well that must’ve been the source for the first book then, honestly, at that age, dinosaur books were more about the pictures. When I wanted to read, it was usually fantasy novels at that time. Actual dinosaur research was a later phase.

Correct answer: “Dina, I hate to burst your bubble but I’m not a dinosaur and neither are you. Traumatic news, I know but you needed to have someone tell you this. Now, could you please ask Amber to come out and talk to me and Mike?”

Amber/Amazi-Girl is doing everything but the one important thing: Aknowledging that they could actually be in the wrong vis-a-vis Danny. The comment field explodes in joy about butt plugs. Cerberus explains about the advantages of glass dildos.

Hank is taking some seriously big steps into becoming a Good Person, and even better, a Good Dad. We also see that Carol is not a lone wolf, but instead a perfect member of her congregation. Says a lot about her congregation.

In the comment field, people still try to excuse Carol for being a shithead, because they don’t understand exactly how crappy that stuff is. Such people get schooled so hard, they run away in fear of knowledge that does not agree with their worldview. Some people also still blame Becky for ramping up the drama, when in fact it is always Carol who starts it, with Becky only responding.

Responding perfectly, at that. 😀

People also still comment that Hank is finally a portrayal of a decent Christian. At this point, it is impossible to know if they are serious or not. If they are, then they have the attention span of a dog*.

Carla is once again being as Carla as she can be, which is great! We learn just the extent of how fricking supportive her parents are. True, they also had the resources, but they did what they did as a show of real parental support. Dorothy is being the letdown here, as she could have paid enough attention to Carla’s argument to see just how important it is to have someone, anyone loving her for who she is. Carla’s argument is anything but stupid, Dorothy!

In the comment field, people are shipping Ultra Car with Monkey Master. I think. I was sort of skimming it at this point.

And then, glory of glories, Carla realising that Ruth is not “merely” upset about having to ditch her girlfriend, she is genuinely depressed! And that brings us to today’s strip, where we see Carla walking away knowing that she now has to deal with this properly, and she’ll not like it one bit. But she’ll do it anyway, because she’s Carla.

In the comment field, people are discussing dinosaurs. All is well.

So yeah, I think that is it. Did I miss anything?

*Contrary to claims, goldfish has fairly decent attention spans, and can certainly remember things for more than a few seconds. Dogs, on the other hand, are pretty horrible at it; which is why you must correct a dog (and yes, that is correcting it, not punishing it) immediately when it does a bad thing.

Next time maybe I should tell you in advance, then you can come to Norway too and we can meet, and I will make you my trusted lieutenant, but of course you will betray me and throw me to the sharks, but I will somehow survive by being eaten alive by a whale shark, and then I will return at the exact moment you are getting married to your sweetheart, and your wedding will be ruined as my new army of land-dwelling whale sharks will stomp on all the guests. After this, thunder will start as the climactic battle ensues, in which my imperial saber will cut your arm off, but you will in the end be victorious by gagging me with the wedding dress.

Barking is something dogs often do as a way to get attention. It started barking to get your attention vis-a-vis the squirrel, and until you stop it, it will keep seeking that attention. Yes, the squirrel was gone. Your dog still wanted attention about it. Remember, if you’d been a dog yourself, you would have been able to smell that the squirrel was there. It’s not your dog’s fault you have a vastly inferior nose.

Except coming over to pet her and try to calm her doesn’t work, so it’s not about attention. And every time I let her out on the deck for the next three days, she went right over to where she saw the squirrel (not everywhere the squirrel was, just where it was when she saw it) to sniff.

wonders what Dina’s reaction would be if I mentioned that I am more interested in the phyletic relationships of Problematica such as H. sparsa and T. gregarium… no, wait, hallucigenids are probably onychophorans… maybe odontogriphids would be a better example, they’re still unsure about them, right?… Oh, never mind.

As it is doubtful they have a printer in room (though I went to college in Dark Ages when printers were huge), I like the idea of Dina having printouts of the pterodactyl article ready for just such an occasion.

the same way that not every mammal that lives today is a rodent not every reptile that lived during the paleozoic was necessarily a dinosaur. Of course since the fossils from that era are so old we have to rely on morphology and can’t analyze their genetic material to find more subtle relations between the various species. Imagine if paleontologists 60 million years from now discovered fossils of domestic dogs. They’d be hard pressed to believe that a chihuahua and a great dane are the same species, they’d probably figure out they’re both canines but unless they knew about our selective breeding practices they would easily think they were as different as tigers and bobcats.

Question: I get by this point that Mike’s a dick because he’s Mike, but… are we gonna get a backstory about why? I get it, in Willis’ other comics he’s traditionally been a massive wanker, but as Willis has attested, this is a separate universe. Maybe we’ll actually get a backstory for him now, a la Amber’s DOA backstory? …Or maybe he’ll just continue being Mike. Really, I’m fine either way.